Retail Industry Insights

While many supermarkets have Registered Dietitian Nutritionists on staff, some are also looking into the feasibility of hiring health coaches. Let’s take a look at the differences between these two disciplines and the value they may bring to the retail setting.

Today, 45 percent of online sales are through Amazon; 58 percent of shoppers start their product searches on Amazon compared to 20 percent through search engines and 18 percent on retailer websites.

How can retail RDNs engage more with the Hispanic community and what is important to this audience in terms of food and nutrition? We continue our look at marketing to Hispanic shoppers and specific considerations for successfully interacting with this population.

Maribel Alchin RDN MBA LDN, a former retail dietitian with Meijer, was raised in Mexico for 8 years and her family continues to follow many cultural food traditions. She has helped retailers “get it right” when it comes to attracting and retaining Hispanic customers. She provides these valuable insights that retailers should know about marketing to Hispanic customers:

Parents often reload their college students before heading back to campus in early January, creating a promotional opportunity for retail dietitians.

It is a common assumption that you can’t have too many choices. This is particularly true in the grocery aisles, with the average store stocking nearly 40,000 items. While many shoppers value variety, too many choices can lead to confusion. This is often seen in the egg case. 

Supermarket dietitians certainly appreciate the opportunity to promote the produce department with its abundance of nutrient-rich products. Dan Fechte, Produce Manager for Schnuck Markets, Inc. shares insights about his accountabilities that ensure high quality, fresh produce is available for consumers and how RDs can help educate shoppers.

The rise of grocery e-commerce, the need for convenience, and an expanded selection in virtually every category – these are all reasons that packaged produce has taken off in recent years.

In case you missed us at FNCE this year, here's a recap of our annual "What's in Store?" event.  In partnership with Fleishman Hillard, we hosted 58 retail dietitians and 20 sponsors from North America.

The frequency of canned food consumption overall in the US has been on a steady decline over the last several years. The misconceptions about the nutritional quality of canned foods, and their decreasing usage rate may actually be contributing factors to the nutritional inadequacy of the American diet.